By Daniel Rothberg

Upper School Dean Canh Oxelson announced in a letter that he will be leaving at the end of this year to work as the Director of College Counseling at Horace Mann School in New York. The letter was sent to the parents of students in his dean group.

“This was a very difficult decision for me, but ultimately I felt that the position at Horace Mann is a great opportunity to take another step in my professional development,” Oxelson said in the letter.

Oxelson assured parents of rising seniors that he will help write recommendation letters for college. He also said that the search for his replacement will begin immediately.

“What makes this decision easier is the knowledge that Harvard-Westlake will, no doubt, attract many wonderful candidates to fill my position,” he said in the letter. “Over the years, we have built relationships with some phenomenal admission and college counseling professionals who would be excellent additions to our team of upper school deans.”

Oxelson began working at Harvard-Westlake eight years ago after working as an admissions officer at the University of Pennsylvania.

“The talents displayed by your children in the classroom, on the stage and on the playing fields are both thrilling and inspiring,” Oxelson said in the letter. “Yes, we do what we can to develop those talents, but the ‘raw materials’ constantly amaze me.”